About the Project

Offshore wind energy is one of the most efficient and rapidly expanding sources of renewable energy, and it is increasingly recognised as a key solution for meeting the UK’s short- and long-term energy demands. In line with the UK Government’s renewable energy roadmap and its target of achieving up to 50 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, the deployment of new offshore wind farms is expected to accelerate significantly over the coming years, to support the transition towards Net Zero. To address the pressing structural integrity challenges facing the offshore wind sector, a fully funded PhD studentship in "Offshore Renewable Energy Structures" is available within the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham.

This PhD project is aligned with the "WIND-PROLIFE" EPSRC Open Fellowship research programme, led by Professor Ali Mehmanparast in the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Birmingham. WIND-PROLIFE aims to develop innovative solutions for extending the operational life of ageing offshore wind infrastructure.

The PhD project will focus on the development of an integrated framework that incorporates the following key aspects:

• Fatigue life prediction using advanced numerical modelling techniques
• Accelerated corrosion-fatigue testing for long-term structural integrity assessment
• Fatigue life enhancement using advanced manufacturing and surface engineering techniques
• Lifecycle damage assessment for the prediction and extension of service life